WAXAHACHIE DAILY LIGHT (Texas) 13 April 06 Racing with snakes (Eric Lidji)
As director of utilities, David Bailey and his department often have to do some dirty and dangerous things. The water meters and sewer pipes can frequently house brown recluse spiders, big scorpions and copperhead snakes.
“Working serious all the time,” Bailey said, “it’s nice to get out and do something different every once in a while.”
That might mean a day on the links or a matinee to some.
For Bailey, it just means bigger snakes.
For the past four years, he takes a weekend in March to participate in the semi-dangerous but always exciting World Championship Rattlesnake Races.
For the last 34 years, the race has been a part of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in San Patricio, Texas, a small town in South Texas with a population just under 400.
St. Patrick is often credited with driving the snakes out of Ireland. Bailey drives them down a dirt path with hopes of a cash prize and a bit of hard fought honor.
Appropriately enough, San Patricio is on Farm-to-Market 666.
Bailey found out about the event four years ago from high school friends with Leisure Foods out of Fort Worth who have been running the concession booth at the race for 30 years.
“Snake racing?” Bailey said. “What the heck is that?”
The snakes are brought in from the rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, and are kept in a large cage. Contestants pay $20 and receive a lane assignment, protective leggings, a prod, a snake handler and, of course, a snake.
Snakes are brought to the lanes in small, yellow holding pens. At the gunshot, each contestant releases his or her snake. The goal is to scare the snake into slithering along the 80-foot lane and passing the finish line first.
The trick is to get the snake scared enough to run away, but not mad enough to get defensive.
The first year, Bailey had a 6-foot rattler that took off, but lost due to a bad start. Subsequent years, he’s had smaller, younger snakes, which has been a bit more dangerous.
“The larger ones seem to want to get away from you,” Bailey said. “The smaller ones, they get angry. They want to strike at you.”
Contestants are not allowed to touch the snakes, but can make noise, move dirt, yell or try any other technique. Bailey said he has seen people try everything from prayer to singing lullabies. Contestants that get bit are disqualified.
Bailey’s technique is pure luck.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do for a wild rattlesnake,” Bailey said. “He can do his own thing.”
Admittedly, though, Bailey has yet to win any race in his four years at San Patricio. His daughter, Michelle Bailey, came to the race for the first time this year and won a heat. She got a rattlesnake belt buckle as a prize.
The event takes place over a Saturday and a Sunday, and the final race takes place Sunday evening. The winner gets $500 and a stuffed rattlesnake posed to strike.
Thousands arrive for the event each year, which is part of a larger St. Patrick’s Day carnival held in San Patricio since 1877. The proceeds go to help restore the San Patricio County Courthouse.
For the less adventurous, there are egg-catches, three-legged races, sack hops and arena games. For the far more adventurous, there are vendors selling pythons, spiders and big scorpions.
This year, for show, one man brought a Pakistani cobra in a wicker basket, coaxed it out to pose for the crowd and kissed it on the head.
“Now this guy had a death wish,” Bailey said.
There are also snake souvenirs and snake meat for sale.
“Snake meat is a white meat. It’s more bones and rib is all it is,” Bailey said. “They just put some seasoning on it and fry it up.”
Racing with snakes